Wrench



L. BRILES.

WRENCH.

APPLICATION FILED MAR. 19. 1920.

.1 ,373,861 Patented Apr. 5, 1921.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

LARKIN BRILES, OF LAKE CITY, CALIFORNIA, ASSIGNOR 'I'O J. E. LEONARD, OF DAVIS GREEK, CALIFORNIA.

WRENCH.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Apr. 5, 192 1.

Application filed March 19, 1920. Serial No. 367,175.

To all whom it may concem:

Be it known that I, LARKIN Bninns, citizen of the United States, residing at Lake City, in the county of Modoc and State of California, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Wrenches, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to an improved wrench and has as one of its principal ob jects to provide a device of this character wherein leverage brought to bear upon the wrench handle will serve to shift the movable jaw toward the fixed jaw of the wrench for clamping the work between the aws.

A further object of the invention is to provide a wrench which may be adjusted to avoid crushing the work between the aws.

J The invention has as a further object to provide a wrench employing an operating lever, wherein the adjusting screw employed for the movable jaw will form the connection between said lever and the jaw and wherein means will be provided to prevent binding between the screw and lever when the lever is swung as well as to shift the screw upon the lever so as to effectually transmit the thrust of the lever to the jaw.

And the invention has as a still further object to provide a wrench which wlll be characterized by structural simplicity and which may be employed either as an ordinary monkey wrench or as a pipe wrench. A

Other and incidental ob ects will appear hereinafter.

In the drawings: 0

Figure 1 is a perspective view of my mproved wrench showing the movable aw shifted away from the fixed jaw of the wrench,

Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the device, the operating lever being partly broken away and shown in section, and

Fig. 3 is a viewsimilar to Fig. 2 but showing the operating lever of the wrench moved to normal position in alinement with the wrench shank.

In carrying the invention into eifect, I employ a wrench shank 10 upon the outer end of which is formed a fixed aw 11. At its inner end portion the shank is reduced to provide a tongue 12 having a beveled outer end ed e 13 and defining beveled shoulders 14 at the unction of the tongue with the shank. The inner edge of said tongue 1s formed with an arcuate recess 15. Mounted to swing upon the shank is an operatin lever 16 provided at its outer end with a andle 17 and formed at its inner end with laterally directed fork arms 18 between which is a beveled shoulder 19. These arms freely rece ve the tongue 12 therebetween and extend ng through the arms and the tongue is a suitable pin 20 pivotally connecting the leyer to the tongue. Slidable upon the shank lS fl movable jaw 21. this jaw being provided with a flat face while the fixed jaw is preferably formed with an arcuate face, both of said faces having teeth. At its forward edge the movable jaw is formed with a notch 22 through the upper side wall of which opens a socket 23 and alining with this socket is an opening 24. Projecting freely through said opening to be freely received at 1ts upper end portion within the socket 23 1s a screw 25 and threaded upon this screw to be freely received within the notch coact ing with the movable jaw is a nut 26. Thus, as will be seen, the screw may rock with respect to the movable jaw while, at the same time, the nut may be rotated for adjusting the movable jaw toward or away from the fixed j aw. it its lower end the rew is provided with a laterally enlarged flattened head 27 having an arcuate inner edge 28. The head is freely received between the free end portions of the fork arms 18 of the operating lever and is formed with a laterally directed slot 29 through which freely extends a pivot pin 30 engagedwith thefork arms for pivotally connectin the screw thereto. Rotatably mounted Tetween the fork arms and the rear of the head -is .a roller 31 supported by a pin 32 extending between the arms.

As will now be readily appreciated,the operating lever 16 may, as shown in Figs. 1 and 2 of the drawings, be swung rearwardly upon the wrench shank for shifting the movable jaw along said shank away from the fixed jaw of the wrench, rearward movement of the lever being limited by engagement of the forkarms 18 with the lower ends of the shoulders 14. Thus, without regard to the independent adjustment of the movable jaw which may be had by rotating the nut 26, the movable jaw may be shifted to receive the work between this jaw and the fixed jaw. Then. when forward pressure is brought to bear upon the operating lever,

the movable jaw will be shifted toward the fixed jaw for clamping the work between the jaws and, as the pressure upon the lever is increased, the pressure of the jaws against the work will, as willbe seen, be increased proportionately. Thus, possibility of slipping of the wrench will he reduced to a mimimum. As will be noted, forward movement of the operating lever 16 will be limited by the engagement of the fork arms 18 with the shoulders 14 of the wrench shank and also by the engagement of the beveled edge 13 of the tongue 12 with the shoulder 19 of the lever, when the lever will lie in alinement with the shank, the roller 31 being received within the recess 15 of the tongue 12. Consequently, by adjusting the movable jaw along the shank by means of the nut 26, this jaw may be so positioned that complete forward movement of the operating lever will be permitted while, at the same tin'ie, the work will he clamped between the jaws. Thus, when extreme pressure is brought to bear upon the lever, the work will not be crushed.

As will now be observed, when the operating lever 16 is swung rearwardly. the pin 30, traveling in an arcuate path. will move to the outer end portion of the slot 29 in the screw head 27. However, as the lever ap proaches the limit of its rearward movement, the roller 31 will be shifted to coast with the inclined upper end portion of the arouate edge 28 of the head for shifting the head outwardly over the pin so that the pin will thus be revented from seating within the outer and of said slot to cause possible sticking or wedging oi -the pin at the outer end of the slot. On the other hand. as the operating lever is swung forwardly the pin, traveling in an arcuate path. will tend to move toward the inner end of the slot. hen pressure is brought to bear on the lever, the pin will bind against the upper longitudinal wall of the slot so that the head 27 of the screw would, unless prevented, shift with the ,pin to cause partial locking between the pin and head. However, as the operating lever swings forwardly,the roller 31 will be moved to engage the upwardly inclined lower end portion of the arcuate edge 28 of the head and, as the forward movement of the later is continued, will shift the head outwardly over the pin and thus prevent bind ing between the pin and head, free movement of the pin within the slot being accord ingli; always had. Furthermore, in thus 'shifting the head upon the.pin, the screw will he rocked upon the movable jaw, as the lever-is swung, so as to at'all times directly communicate thrust of the lever to the movable jaw. it accordingly provide a particularly etticient type of wrench and, as will be seen, a wrench which may be employed with equal facility either as a pipe Wrench or as an ordinary monkey wrench.

Having thus described the inventiornwhat is ('laimed as new is:

l. A wrench inoludin a shank provided with a fixed jaw and having a ooacting movable jaw sliduhle thereon, an operating lever pivoted upon the shank and provided with a laterally directed arm, means forming a connection between the arm and the movable j aw. means loosely and pivotally connecting the first means with said arm, and means carried by, the arm for shifting the first means relative to the seooml means as the lever is swung.

22. A wrench including a shank provided with a tixed jaw and having a ooaeting movable jaw slidable thereon, an operating lever pivoted upon the shank and provided with a laterally directed arm. an adjusting screw :for the movable jaw. means slidab y and pivotally connecting said screw with said arm, and means carried by the arm for shifting the screw relative to the first means as the lever is swung.

A wrench including a shank provided with a fixed jaw and having a coacting movahle jaw slidahle thereon, an operating lever pivoted upon the shank and provided with a laterally directed arm, an adjusting screw for the movable jaw having a slotted head. means connecting: the screw with said arm and Extending through the slot of said head, and a roller mounted upon the arm in rear of the head to react therewith for shifting the head relative to said means as the lever is swung.

4. A wrench including a shank rovlded with a fixed jaw and having a coaoting movable awsl dable thereon, an operat ng lever 'pivoted upon the shank and provided with a laterally directed arm, anladjusting screw for the movable jaw having: a s otted head, means comiecting said screw with the arm and extending through the slot in said head. and means mounted upon the arm in the rear of the head to coast therewith for shifting the head relative to said first mentioned means as the leveris swung:

In testimony whereof I affix my signature.

BR ILES. [11. 5.] 

